Measure of a Man

Bobby (Blake Cooper) is a chubby teenager whose family spends each summer at a camp. This particular summer is a tough one for Bobby for many reasons. First, he's expected to get a job and he lands one with a real tough taskmaster (Donald Sutherland). Second, his girl friend is leaving and not spending much of the summer...and he counted on spending time with her. Third, he's on the radar of a bully and his group of toadies...and they are determined to make Bobby's life miserable. So how will he navigate these difficulties...or will he?

Blake Cooper was good and his part was written well. Most of the adults, on the other hand, seem underwritten and pretty one-dimensional, such as: the father who is just a jerk in every way, the deputy who is a jerk in every way, the employer who seems to take advantage of him, and his mother...who says and does very little. This is a weakness in the movie. But fortunately, even with a rogues gallery of adults, Cooper is able to keep your attention. And because of this, the movie works. Not a great movie but a very enjoyable one.

This film seems uneven upon first watch, but upon analysis there's a sharp division between all of the youth roles and adult roles.

Blake Cooper (chubby kid from CHUCK and MAZE RUNNER) heads the cast with a performance that is thoughtful, genuine and winning. He's surrounded by familiar young characters who are fleshed out by talented young actors.

Then we come to the adult roles: Luke Wilson as the dad is one-dimensional and barely registers. Hence, I didn't really care about his character in the least.

Judy Greer's considerable skills can't bring life to her poorly written part. As a professional, she connects with Blake Cooper, but the dialogue is severely limiting.

Donald Sutherland suffers the most, effecting an accent that might be South African or British, but it comes and goes, and is a terrible attempt. His accent detracts from his character and makes for a ghastly performance.

This could have been a classic coming-of-age movie, but its flaws -- drawn along age lines -- make it an okay one-time watch.

I'm now a fan of Coopers: he does a fantastic job. Interestingly, when I looked him up to see what else he's done, in new pictures he appears to have shed all the weight and cuts a very handsome figure.

This film tells the story of a 17 year old man who experiences a life changing summer holiday.

On the macro level, the story is satisfying and heartwarming. It is good to see the changes in the young man. His experiences are quite saddening, but it leads up growth.

The story starts in 1976 with music from that period. A kid get hired by a Dr. Kahn (Donald Sutherland, a college professor?) to do outside yard work while vacationing around a lake. There are several plot lines going on and things are not what they initially seem. If you don't listen and see closely, you will miss the townies calling Dr. Kahn an anti-Semitic slur. Look closely during the ice-tea scene and you will very briefly see a fading number tattooed on Dr. Kahn's left forearm, obviously from a concentration camp. The kid is bullied by 2 of the townies and eventually confronts them and wins their respect. Then, he confronts the doctor who he thinks has been taking advantage of him. In the end, it all ties in together and it's very nice.

Here are quite a few movies to this degree but this one stood out to me for a few reasons. The main character did a great job and the superb cast that surrounded him didn't take away from his acting.

Kept my interested the whole time even though I knew how it would most likely play out,

Worth a watch with the family

6.8